The Los Angeles Police Department has opened an internal affairs investigation regarding why the woman who drove the getaway car for Eric Holder, who allegedly fatally shot rapper Nipsey Hussle, was sent home when she attempted to turn herself in during the manhunt for Holder.
7 News Miami reports that the LAPD’s Office of the Inspector General confirmed on Monday (July 1) that the Internal Affairs Group is investigating a desk officer’s response at the 77th Street station.
LAPD spokeswoman Capt. Gisselle Espinoza stated that the issue is under administrative investigation and said that she couldn’t offer any more details.
The woman who drove Holder away from the fatal scene on March 31 outside of Hussle’s apparel store, Marathon Clothing, went to the police station because her vehicle and license plate were on the news, according to grand jury testimony.
“Oh my God,” the woman, whose name has not been released, testified that she told her mother. “My car is on here and everything, and I didn’t do anything. I didn’t know this boy was gonna do this.”
According to grand jury transcripts, the woman’s mother called law enforcement but she was told that detectives wouldn’t be available until 6 a.m. the next morning.
The woman and her mother say that they were told “don’t worry about it” and “don’t listen to the news” when they arrived at the police station the next morning. After her mother called the cops again, she left the station and returned later to chat with detectives.
According to LAPD Detective Cedric Washington, the woman was turned away.
“That is true, according to the desk officer that I spoke to about it,” Washington said.
“OK. He apparently missed a briefing in the chief’s press conference that day, I guess,” Deputy District Attorney John McKinney said.
The internal affairs investigation commenced a few days ago, Josh Rubenstein, an LAPD spokesperson said.
“While the initial indications pointed to a miscommunication, we have initiated an administrative investigation to ensure all policies and procedures were followed,” Rubenstein wrote. “We will review all statements that have already been given, interview all of the individuals involved, and look for any potential body cam video that may have captured the interchange.”
Last week, Rubenstein told the LA Times that it didn’t seem like any misconduct had transpired.
“She was not making herself clear of what she was doing,” Rubenstein said. He also noted that the cop believed the woman was reporting that someone was simply recording video footage of her vehicle on TV.
On May 9, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Holder with murder, attempted murder, and other felonies. The 29-year-old has pleaded not guilty.
According to the woman’s testimony, she and Holder were friends for about a month and she thought that they were just going to the shopping center for food.
The woman saw Nipsey Hussle standing outside of his store, showed excitement, and took a picture with the “Victory Lap” rapper after she overheard Holder and Hussle discuss “snitching.”
The woman and Holder then left the shopping center and went to a nearby gas station when Holder, loaded a gun and then told her that he would be back and headed back to the shopping center, according to the woman’s testimony.
The woman claimed that she heard two gunshots and Holder returned to her car moments after telling her to drive. She said that she didn’t know that the Los Angeles rapper had been shot until later on that night.
According to transcripts, witnesses also heard Holder and Hussle having a conversation about “snitching.”
Two days later, Holder was arrested about 20 miles from the shopping center where Hussle was murdered.
Hussle, 33, whose given name is Ermias Ashgedom, had just garnered a Grammy nomination for his debut album, Victory Lap prior to being gunned down.
Glennisha Morgan is a Detroit-bred multimedia journalist and writer. She writes about intersectionality, hip-hop, pop culture, queer issues, race, feminism, and her truth. Follow her on Twitter.
